Archive for the 'Kobe Bryant' Category

BASKETBALL

The Los Angeles Lakers celebrated their superstar Kobe Bryant by retiring both of his jersey numbers (8 and 24). Both jerseys will now hang in the Staples Center among all the other Laker greats. After the moving ceremony, Bryant watched his former team lose in overtime to the Golden State Warriors. The game went down to the wire, but the Warriors were without Steph Curry, Draymond Green, Zaza Pachulia, and Shaun Livingston, who were all out due to injuries. Warriors 116, Lakers 114.

OTHER

ESPN’s President John Skipper announced he’s stepping down from his job due to “substance addiction.” Skipper was also the co-chairman of the Disney media networks. Skipper joined ESPN in 1997 and was appointed President in 2012. Former President George Bodenheimer will take over on an interim basis.

NBA

Kobe Bryant is making the most of his retirement from basketball. On Monday he announced his partnership in a $100 million media and technology venture capital fund called BryantStibel (with partner Jeff Stibel).

In more Kobe news, Los Angeles declared 8/24 as Kobe Bryant day. 8 and 24 are the two jersey numbers Kobe wore during his 20 years and 5 NBA Championships with the Lakers. LA City Councilmember Jose Huizar stated, “For 20 years, we were all the beneficiaries of Kobe’s incredible talent and legendary work ethic, and on 8-24 we’ll gather to say, ‘Thank you, Mamba.’”

NFL

Many athletes feel it’s their responsibility to use their fame to heighten social awareness. Seattle Seahawks’ QB Russell Wilson switched the location of his wedding to singer Ciara from North Carolina to London in order to bring awareness to North Carolina’s transgender bathroom law. As a refresher, the NC law states people using restrooms in public schools and government buildings need to use the bathroom corresponding to the sex stated on their birth certificate.

OLYMPICS

Disgraced swimmer Ryan Lochte has been dropped by four of his major sponsors (Speedo, Ralph Lauren, Airweave and Gentle Hair Removal) after admitting he “exaggerated” his story of getting robbed at gunpoint after a night out at the Olympics.

NBA

The Cleveland Cavaliers came back strong Wednesday night with a decisive win over the Toronto Raptors to take a 3-2 lead. Kevin Love posted a game high 25 points while LeBron James and Kyrie Irving added 23 each. The Cavs can clinch their second straight Conference Title if they win Friday night back in Toronto. Cavaliers 116, Raptors 78.

Watch game 5 of the Golden State Warriors hosting the Oklahoma City Thunder (OKC up 3-1 in the Western Conference Finals) Thursday night. Draymond Green has been criticized for his play during games 3 and 4 of the series and in an interview with UNINTERRUPTED, he spoke the pressure. He mentioned an inspirational text he got from Kobe Bryant which said, ‘If making history was easy, why bother?’ I Love this!!!

These games are now do or die for the Warriors. 9:00 pm EST on TNT

NFL

The NFL has been in hot water for the perception they are mismanaging concussion research. In addition, many people are concerned about the rising injuries in the game. The Buffalo Bills GM, Doug Whaley, didn’t make the case for the game any easier when he responded to a question about receiver Sammy Watkins’ being injury prone. On WGR 550 radio, he said, “This is the game of football. Injuries are part of it. It’s a violent game that I personally don’t think humans are supposed to play.” He retracted the statement saying he used a poor choice of words but still not a smart way to alleviate people’s fears about injuries in the game.

NBA

Oh What a Night! In one of the most exciting nights in the NBA, the Golden State Warriors made history and Kobe Bryant ended an historic era.

After 20 seasons, Kobe Bryant officially played his last game in the NBA Wednesday night. Every Laker seemed to have one goal in mind: pass the ball to Kobe. He put the ball in the air 50 times, the most shots of any NBA player in more than 30 years, and came away with 60 of the Lakers’ 101 points.

Hundreds of member of the media came to cover the game including celebrities such as Jay-Z, Kanye West, David Beckham, Adam Levine, and Snoop Dogg. Los Angeles 101, Utah 96

Us East Coasters had to stay up very late to watch the Golden State Warriors win their 73rd regular season game, eclipsing the record set by Michael Jordan’s 1995/6 Chicago Bulls.

Steph Curry made it look easy. Shot after shot went effortlessly into the basket, and early on in the game, Curry became the first NBA player ever to score 400 3-pointers in a single season (actually ended with 402). Prior to this season, no player had ever even reached 300 3’s (previous record was 286 set by Curry himself last season). Curry is quietly becoming a legend. Golden State 125, Memphis 104

NBA

All eyes are on Los Angeles, where KobeBryant will play his final professional basketball game Wednesday night against the Utah Jazz. An unprecedented number of journalists and members of the press will flock to the Staples Center to cover the game. Nearly 500 media members have been issued credentials, a staggering number for a regular season game. Bryant will end his 20th season at home. Upstate, the Golden State Warriors will be playing in their own potentially historic game, as they try to topple the all-time season record held for the last 20 years by the Chicago Bulls. It’s a good night to be a basketball fan.

NFL

Josh Gordon isn’t getting back into the NFL this winter. The NFL has denied the wide receiver’s petition for reinstatement after he recently failed a drug test. His next chance to rejoin the world of professional football is August 1st. That’s the soonest he can apply for reinstatement. As for his future in Cleveland, the Browns won’t make any decisions on the player until after he’s been reinstated.

Several days ago, former New Orleans Saints defensive end Will Smith was shot and killed in an altercation following a minor traffic accident late Saturday night in New Orleans. Footage from traffic cameras indicated Smith bumped into a Hummer that stopped abruptly, then sped away. He was pursued by the Hummer, whose driver allegedly shot Smith multiple times at an intersection several blocks away. Smith’s wife was in the car with him and suffered multiple gunshot wounds to the leg. On Tuesday, the New Orleans Police Department stated they found a fully loaded 9-millimeter handgun inside Smith’s vehicle. The shooter’s attorney believes the presence of the gun in Smith’s car will help exonerate his client from 2nd-degree murder charges.

NBA

Kobe Bryant’s farewell played out another chapter Thursday night when the LA Lakers played the Cleveland Cavaliers and Kobe and Lebron James faced off against each other for the 22nd time of their careers. Both had double digit points (26 for Kobe and 24 for Lebron) but the Cavaliers came out with the win and the crowd went crazy seeing these superstars hug it out. Cavs 120, Lakers 108.

Nate Robison is attempting an amazing feat! As a current free agent in the NBA, he is using his “downtime” to try out for the NFL. Nate used to play football at the University of Washington but hasn’t taken the field in over 11 years. At 31 years old, the NBA point guard could be the first athlete in history to play for an NBA and NFL team. We’ve seen football and baseball (Bo Jackson and Deion Sanders) and basketball and baseball (Michael Jordan) but never basketball and football. Good luck Nate!

BASKETBALL

The Golden State Warriors only had one loss coming into a game with the Dallas Mavericks, but unfortunately their reigning MVP Stephen Curry was ruled out for the game. Could the Warriors win without Steph? Unfortunately no. The Mavericks destroyed the Warriors and easily handed them their second loss of the season. Dallas 114, Golden State 91.

Elsewhere in the NBA, Kobe Bryant made his final trip to Boston. He faced Boston in two finals (each team winning one). Boston has disdain for Bryant, but also sincere respect. In this final trip, Bryant led the Lakers to a surprise victory over the Celtics. Bryant had his 173rd career double-double, and in the final minute of the game, the classy Celtics fans chanted “Kobe! Kobe!”. It’s clear that the NBA is going to miss Kobe Bryant. He was a spectacle in every city he visited during his career. Lakers 112, Celtics 104.

FOOTBALL

In college football, University of California star quarterback Jared Goff, a junior with all the NFL physical specs, has decided he will forego his junior year and enter the NFL draft. Goff had a statistically marvelous season with Cal, and led them to a win over Air Force in the Armed Forces Bowl. The pro scouts have been talking about Goff’s “special arm” all season, and now he will get a chance to show what he can do in the pros. ESPN’s Todd McShay has Goff ranked as the 2nd best quarterback in the draft, behind Memphis’ Paxton Lynch, and there are several teams who would love access to his talents.

BASKETBALL

In the NBA, Kobe Bryant may be retiring at the end of the season, but unlike a lot of other aging veterans, Kobe Bryant is still playing pretty well. Bryant turned back the clock against the Nuggets, putting up 31 points and 5 assist. LA Lakers 111, Denver 107.

And in some crazy betting news, sports fan, Tayla Polia, placed a wild 15-game $5 parlay this past weekend. She played 14 games, and one over/under (the Broncos/Steelers). Most people can’t even win a 2-game parlay, and this one had a possible odds of 20,000 to 1. Yeah, long shot. But, going into Monday night, all she needed was a Lions win or cover to win the $100,000 prize. And, she hit it. Apparently, Polia fainted at the law office where she works when she won, and then went out to lunch.

Finally, in college basketball, years ago, there was a viral video sensan on High School basketball player Zach Hodskins. Hodskins only has one hand, but hecan play really well. In these videos, he’s pretty much unstoppable, and can drain a shot from anywhere. A few years ago, Hodskins made the team at Florida as a walk-on. And on Tuesday, Hodskins got on the floor against Jacksonville, hit a layup, and even drew the foul. Here’s the video for the story:

BASKETBALL

Friday night in the Spurs vs. Lakers game two old rivals faced up against each other for one of the last times. Kobe Bryant and Tim Duncan squared off in a 109-87 victory for the Spurs as they remain undefeated at home(12-0). In other NBA news, the Golden State Warriors slipped away from the Boston Celtics in a 124-119 victory improving to an astounding 24-0.

FOOTBALL

NFL ranks the Arizona Cardinals at second in power rankings behind the Carolina Panthers and think they have the best chance of beating the still undefeated Panthers.

BASKETBALL

The big news out of the sports world is KobeBryant’s announcement he will retire from the NBA. Kobe put a posting on the Internet titled “Dear Basketball” in which he told the world “This season is all I have left to give. My heart can take the pounding. My mind can handle the grind but my body knows it’s time to say goodbye.” Kobe had a unique career and will go down as one of the greatest basketball players of all time. The game will miss him.

FOOTBALL

In the NFL, the Seattle Seahawks and Pittsburgh Steelers are both trying their hardest to shake off a bad start to the season and secure a playoff spot. The Steelers headed to Seattle this weekend and in the midst of the battle, the Seahawks lost tight end Jimmy Graham to a season-ending injury. Oddly enough, once he went out, the Seahawks played better, and even though it was a scoring feast from both teams, the Seahawks came away with the victory. Seattle 39, Pittsburgh 30.

In prime time, the Denver Broncos hosted the unbeaten New England Patriots. Even though the Pats entered the game undefeated, they team is completely banged up and it seems like every week they lose one of their stars. They first lost Dion Lewis, then Julian Edelman, and now… Rob Gronkowski. In the 4th quarter, Gronk went down and had to be carted off the field. We don’t know the seriousness of the injury yet, but it didn’t look good. The Broncos were behind most of the game, but they surged back for a late lead. Not surprisingly, the Pats tied the score to send the game into overtime. The Broncos, led by QB Brock Osweiler battled the weather and got the ball to back-up running back CJ Anderson who scored the game winning touchdown. The Pats are no longer undefeated. Denver 30, New England 24.